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[linhlotustories]

It started with Peonies Ch 2

“He was spying on me!”

Ladybug swung after him, straining her muscles in a desperate attempt to catch up with him. When she finally got close enough, she wrapped her yoyo around him and pulled him towards her.

“What were you thinking?” She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “Why did you follow me?”

When he didn’t respond, just staring at her, she shook him again. “Answer me!”

“You were humming the same song at school today. I thought it was one hell of a coincidence if you looked so similar, had the same song stuck in your head, and had such similar personalities. So, after you left, I went to your house to see if I was right. I’m sorry, M’lady, I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve been wanting to know who you are ever since I met you and I was so close. It was just . . . too good a chance to pass up. I’m sorry.”

She examined his face as he hung his head. He seemed genuinely sorry, like he couldn’t help himself.

Pulling him in for a hug, she buried her face in his chest.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Chaton. I was just upset. I wasn’t ready to reveal my identity yet,” she mumbled as all her energy drained away.

She slumped and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. She was so tired. Being the savior of Paris had its perks, but constantly going without sleep was not one of them.

“Wait!” She jerked away.“Did you say you saw me at school?”

“Uh, n-no?”

“But that means you go to my school!” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Or you were stalking me.”

“I wasn’t stalking you, I promise!” He held up his hands in surrender.

She took a step towards him. “And how do I know you aren’t lying?”

“Because of this. PLAGG, CLAWS IN!”

He closed his eyes as his transformation disappeared in a flash of green light.

“No!” she shrieked as she spun around and pressed her palms to her eyes. “Don’t! I shouldn’t know your identity.”

His hands wrapped around her wrists and he tugged at them gently.

“Please? I already know yours. It’s not fair if you don’t know mine.”

“This isn’t about fair, it’s about Hawkmoth. If we know each other’s identities and one of us gets akumatized or he makes one of us believe that the other is in danger, any number of things could go wrong. He could take over the world.” She froze, remembering another possibility.” “Or,” she whispered, “everything could be destroyed.”

“It’s okay. No one has to know that we know, we can get through this together. It’s you and me against the world, remember?”

Chat pulled her in for a hug as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

“But what if someone finds out? What if this reveal decides who wins? I don’t want to make a bad decision,” she sobbed into his shoulder.

“You won’t. Hawkmoth can’t defeat us. We’re a team and the only ones who can take that away are us.” He paused. “I know that this is scary, but we can do anything if we just remember that. We’re Ladybug and Chat Noir. We’re superheroes. We are a team. What can go wrong?”

“Shh! Don’t say that! You’ll jinx us!”

“I can’t jinx us if I‘m right.”

“If something happens, it’ll be my fault, though. I couldn’t live with myself if you died because of me.”

“I won’t die.”

“You don’t know that!” More tears poured from her eyes and she stifled a sob.“You don’t know that,” she whimpered.

“I do. With you by my side, I couldn’t die if I tried. You’re too stubborn to let me. Come on, Marinette, just open your eyes. Everything will be fine.”

“Promise?” she asked, her voice small.

“Cat’s honor.”

“Okay.”

Marinette inched her eyes open and gasped.

“Adrien?”

“Yep. Is that . . . okay?”

“Okay? It’s incredible! It was you all this time?”

He nodded.

“Oh no. Oh no! I rejected Adrien Agreste?! I could have been dating Adrien this entire time!” She dug her hands into her hair and groaned. “I am such an idiot!”

“Wait, what? First of all, you’re not an idiot. Second, what do you mean you could have been dating me? Do you have a crush on me, M’Lady?”

“Did I just say that out loud?”

He grinned smugly, like a cat that had just cornered a mouse. “Yes.”

She groaned again and hid her face in her hands. “My life is over.”

“No, it’s just beginning. Like our relationship purrhaps?”

“Huh?”

She looked up and stared at him, her cheeks flushed.

He bent down and caressed her cheek.

“We’ve been dancing around each other all this time. Don’t you think we deserve to be happy?” He looked upon her and smiled gently, “Can I kiss you?”

She nodded.

He gently pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes slid closed and she reveled in the feeling of being kissed by Adrien Agreste. Her friend. Her partner. Her Chaton.

His lips were soft and plump and electric against hers. His thumb rubbed circles on her cheek, sending shivers down her spine.

He smelled of cinnamon and camembert with the faintest hint of peppermint.

After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at her, his expression gentle and sincere.

“Will you give me a chance?”

“Of course I will, Chaton.”

This time, it was her that initiated the kiss.

Thank you to my wonderful betas Ever_Lore and buggabae!

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[linhlotustories]

Lie, Lie, Lie

Adrien walked into their father’s office. It had been a long couple of months figuring out who they were and mustering the courage to tell their friends, but they were finally going to come out to their father. He was the last to know. Everyone had been accepting so far, but their father was the least predictable. He could scream at Adrien or outright refuse to acknowledge them or even, maybe, just maybe , accept them as they were.

Adrien spotted their father in front of Mother’s painting. They heard the words ‘dark wings rise’, and everything was momentarily enveloped in purple light. When the light died down, Hawkmoth was standing where Gabriel had been just moments before.

Adrien gasped and spun around, their confession dying on their tongue as they ran out of the office. They ran out the front door, racing past the car and down the street toward the school.

They heard Nathalie calling for them to come back but ignored her and kept running.

When they reached the steps to the school, they sat and caught their breath, trying to forget what they had seen only minutes before.

Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth.

Everything was a lie. The modeling. The photoshoots. The publicity. It was all to increase the number of akumatizations when someone else’s dreams were crushed or their hearts broken.

Gabriel said he did what was best for Adrien but forcing them to do all these extracuriculars wasn’t what was best. Not seeing them for weeks at a time was not what was best.

Lie, lie, lie. That’s all he had every done. He didn’t even care about how it affected everyone else.

A wave of guilt crashed into them.

How had they not known? They lived in the same house. Adrien worked for him. And, yet, they still hadn’t had any clue that he could be Hawkmoth.

What was wrong with them? Were they just destined to be alone and unhappy?

Cool tears bubbled up and cascaded down their hot cheeks, forging salty little trails on their skin.

Why was it always them? Why couldn’t any of this happen to someone else? Just once, they wished their pain on someone else. Someone stronger.

They knew it was selfish, but they couldn’t bring themself to care right now. Their father was Hawkmoth.

Movement from the left brought them out of their stormy thoughts and back to reality. A light yellow limousine pulled up in front of them and they brushed the tears off their cheeks. They sniffed and tried to pull themself together before someone saw. Chloe stepped out of the car and walked over to them.

“Hey, how’s my favorite person today?” she chirped as she hugged them and kissed them on the cheek.

“I’m fine,” Adrien smiled and tried to make it believable.

She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes like the secret to immortality was written on their face in code and she was trying to decipher it.

“No, you aren’t. Don’t lie to me, Adrikins. We’ve been friends for, what, ten years now? I can tell when you’re okay, and right now, you aren’t. What’s wrong?”

“My . . .”

Their face crumpled.

“My father is Hawkmoth.”

Tears squeezed out of their eyes once again and Chloe wrapped her arms around them. They buried their face in her shoulder and sobbed.

“I never even considered the possibility. It’s my fault that he’s been terrorizing Paris for the last three years. I tried so hard to stop him, but maybe I just wanted to think I was doing something when I was actually supporting him. I’m the reason. It’s my fault. I’m worthless.”

“Listen to me.”

Chloe tipped their shoulders and made them face her.

“You are not worthless. And it is not your fault. Now, why don’t you take a deep breath and tell me what happened?”

“But-“ they started.

“Deep breath!” Chloe practically screamed.

Adrien was so stunned that all they could do was as she’d told them. She’d never yelled at them. Never even raised her voice. “Now.” Her voice was calm and soothing like they were discussing their favorite books over coffee and croissants. “Why don't you tell me what happened?”

They told her everything. The reason they went to their father’s office, what they saw, and everything that had happened after, finishing with her arriving at the school and seeing them on the steps.

When they had finished, they were sobbing again and Chloe gave them a hug.

By now, students were arriving at the school, staring at the famous model —who had been reduced to a sniveling mess— and the mayor’s daughter —who was trying to console them— both ignoring the incoming students.

“It’s okay, Adrikins, it’ll be okay, we can figure something out. Why don’t you meet me at my house after school and we can decide what to do about it?”

Adrien sniffed and wiped their nose.

“Okay,” they croaked.

“We should probably go inside now so you can clean up before class.”

She smiled sympathetically.

“Remember, it is not your fault.”

Adrien nodded and made their way up the stairs and to the restroom, still not believing what Chloe had told them.

Hey, I'm so glad I got this prompt! I've been wanting to write something with an LGBTQ+ character for a while and this was just the push I needed to get started. Thank you so much! This was really fun to write! Let me know if there's anything that you see needs to be changed. Thank you to my wonderful beta eh-223! Any also a huge thanks to my sensitivity reader and cousin @Redtailed_Avas!

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[linhlotustories]

It started with Peonies

Notes are going at the beginning this time and you'll see why in a moment. This was written for @adreamywriter This was meant to be fluff but it changed itself while I was writing. I have a challenge for anyone reading this. Every sweet, fluffy thing that’s said in here, every bit of advice, pretend that it’s about you. Thank you to my wonderful betas Buggabae, Ever_Lore, @the-ladybl0g, and one more that chose to remain anonymous! Enjoy!

Ladybug was sitting on the roof of Notre Dame, swinging her legs and humming Fur Elise. Chat was late for patrol tonight which was rather worrying. He didn’t usually forget about things like this.

Sighing, she stood up, preparing to swing away and start patrolling by herself.

“Leaving already, M’lady? Patrol just started.”

She turned around to face her black-clad partner leaning against one of the identical towers. In his hands was a huge bouquet of pink and white peonies.

Noticing her looking at them, he held them out to her. “Here, these are for you.”

“You were late for patrol because you were getting me flowers?” She gaped at him.

“Uh, y-yeah.” He stuttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was, uh, just on my way here when I saw them and thought of you.”

“I love them!” she exclaimed, stroking one of the petals lovingly. “How did you know they were my favorite?” She looked up into his eyes and smiled.

He still looked shocked at her response but cleared his throat. “Uh, lucky, guess?”

“Why are you so nervous? I’m not mad.”

His ears perked up at her words and his eyes shimmered like emeralds in the sun.“Really?”

“Why is that hard to believe? I’m not that mean.” Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Am I? I didn’t mean to be so—”

“Wait,” he tried to get her attention.

“—bossy. You should have said something. You shouldn’t let people bully you. You deserve to be respected. And if I’m not respecting you, do I even deserve a miraculous?”

Spiraling, she turned away and held up her yoyo to swing away, her head hanging low.

“I keep wondering if maybe I’m not the right person to be chosen. It isn’t like this is the first time I’ve screwed up. Maybe Paris and my own partner would be safer if I returned-”

“No!” He grabbed her wrist and turned her toward him. “Listen to me.” He softened his voice. “Hey, come on,”he said, tilting her face up so she could look at him.

“You do respect me. And you do deserve your miraculous. And you have never, not onceI, bullied me. But you also need to respect yourself. If you can’t even love yourself, how can you love that boy you’re always talking about?”

She gaped at him once again as the corners of his mouth lifted in a sad smile.

He was actually acknowledging Adrien’s existence. It filled her up with a warmth that she only felt when she saw how sweet her partner was under all the jokes.

He is so perfect. She thought as she smiled at him.

She froze when she realized what she had just thought. Wait, what?!

She saw him tilt his head to the side as he examined her expression, his green eyes looking at her curiously

“What is it?”

Ladybug scrambled for something acceptable to say. Surely anything other than ‘I just realized that you mean way more to me than I thought and I hurt you repeatedly for absolutely no reason.’

“Uh . . . nothing” is what she ended up saying but in her heart, she knew that it wasn’t nothing. That it was the opposite of nothing she . . . just didn’t know what it was yet.

She had an idea of how she could get a little time to work through her feelings.

“Why don’t you start patrol without me? I’m going to drop these off at my house and put them in some water. They won’t survive if I keep them with me while we patrol.” She held up the nearly forgotten bouquet of peonies.

“Okay, call me when you’re done and I’ll tell you where I am.”

“Perfect, see you in a bit.”

They went their separate ways and Ladybug made sure that he wasn’t following her before landing on her balcony and entering her room. She filled a pale blue vase with water and arranged the peonies on her desk.

She sighed and sat in her desk chair. This whole thing was so confusing. Were her feelings for Chat platonic? Or were they something more . . . romantic? Was she in love with Adrien? Or Chat Noir? Was it possible for her to love both of them? She thought about how she felt around Adrien, how she acted around him, and compared it to how she was around Chat.

She didn’t stutter around Chat but that could be because of the mask. Sometimes, she had caught herself blushing at something clever he had said. The fact that she didn’t freeze up every time she had seen him had to be a good thing. But what about the puns? Adrien didn’t joke very often, so she didn’t have anything to compare them to. He teased her occasionally, but that wasn’t the same.

She thought back to every time she’d ever heard him make a pun in the middle of a battle or on patrol. The first few times, she was annoyed with him for not being serious about it but eventually, she realized that maybe he was just trying to diffuse the tension. Maybe that was his way of keeping himself relaxed. Of not freaking out when they were trying to subdue an akuma.

She still felt bad about that.

Both of them were sweet and generous and handsome and would do anything for her.

If she had to compare them to figure out how she felt, then maybe she was in love with both of them.

She let her head fall backward so she was looking at the ceiling and groaned.

Ugh! Why does everything have to be so complicated?

Tikki piped up, interrupting her lamenting. "Isn’t Chat still waiting for you for patrol?” she squeaked.

Marinette sat up, patrol having been temporarily forgotten. “Yeah, I guess,” she said and climbed up onto her balcony.

“SPOTS ON!”

Taking her yoyo, she prepared herself to swing towards the Eiffel Tower when she spotted Chat leaping across the rooftops at top speed.

She froze as she put two and two together.

part 2

[linhlotustories]

Mercy

Alya looked up into the cold green eyes of her ex-best friend.

“Don’t let go. Please, Lila! I’m begging you! I’ll help you convince everyone that you weren’t lying. I’ll- I’ll do anything. Please! Just don’t let go,” she sobbed. “Don’t let me fall.”

“Why do I need you? You ruined my life. You took everything from me.”

Lila spat in her face

“And you expect me to save you? Well, you were wrong. I have more power than you ever had and now you will die for what you did to me.”

“My kids need me. Nino is gone and Marinette hates me. I have no idea where Ladybug is. Please. Have mercy,” Alya whimpered.

“Mercy? Where was mercy when my father hit me? Where was mercy when I lost my whole family? Where was mercy when everyone left me in the rain to fend for myself? You don’t deserve mercy. No one does. Goodbye, Alya Cesaire.”

Lila opened her hand and laughed as Alya fell to the concrete below.

This was not beta-ed so I apologise if anything is wrong. I wrote this during a 15 min sprint at the MLFanworks server party. The prompt was 'Don't let go, please.'

Join the MLFanworks server here.

[linhlotustories]

Tales of Lovebug and Kitty Noir Ch 6: Riposte

Marinette heard a scream and looked out the window. A silver Akuma with red accents was sword fighting with- Was that... was that Adrien?

What was he doing here? Shouldn’t he be at a photoshoot or doing whatever it was that models did?

She shook her head. No time, she had to transform. “TIKKI, SPOTS ON!”

She climbed onto her balcony and swung towards the Akuma, trying to make it seem like she came from behind the bakery.

She wrapped her yoyo around the Akuma’s sword, spinning her away from Adrien. This doesn’t seem like a very fair fight. Why don’t you spar with me instead?” “You’ll get your chance,” the Akuma growled. She tried to turn back to Adrien, but Lovebug used all her strength to hold the villain in place.

“What’s your name anyway?” she spat out through gritted teeth. Why was . . . this Akuma so . . . damn . . . strong?

“Riposte. Now,” she began, emphasizing every word. “Let. Me. Go!” The Akuma - Riposte - flung Lovebug into a neighboring building, knocking the wind out of the hero and leaving her gasping on the ground.

Adrien, who had seen all of this, rolled his eyes and raised his fencing sabre, muttering, “Guess I have to do this myself.”

They fenced for a while, Riposte attacking furiously and Adrien dodging anything that looked like it could do him any damage.

He knew that any damage Riposte did would be reversed by Lovebug’s magical cure, but from her performance before, he didn’t think she could defeat the Akuma without Chat Noir’s help.

After a few minutes of this, Lovebug got to her feet and crept over, trying not to attract Riposte’s attention. She leaped forward when she was close enough and grabbed Adrien, swinging away before Riposte could even react.

They landed at the Louvre and Lovebug rushed him inside.

“Do you know why she got akumatized?” The heroine had to fight to keep her tone civil. She was a role model. She couldn’t let her dislike for the model show.

“She tried out for the fencing team and didn’t get in. We tied but the only person that saw us lied so he could get on the team.”

His jaw was clenched and he wasn’t making eye contact. That was weird. She shook her head to rid her brain of those distracting thoughts. She would have more time to examine his behavior later. For now, she had to keep him safe. Not even Adrien deserved to be turned over to a vengeful Akuma.

“Right, thanks for your help. Go find a good place to hide now. Chat Noir will be here soon and we’ll take care of everything.”

Lovebug turned away and walked out of the museum to wait for Riposte.

------

After defeating Riposte, Chat sped off and Lovebug walked into the pyramid-shaped landmark.

“You can come out now, Adrien,” she called. When she didn’t get an answer, she looked in the sarcophagus for him. She didn’t see him so she turned and left, muttering under her breath, “Whatever. He’ll be fine. He can get home himself.”

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I'm working on it. I'm just super busy and having a bit of writer's block. From now on, I'll post these on Mondays as I finish them.

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[linhlotustories]

Tales of Lovebug and Kitty Noir ch 4: Evillustrator

Marinette was still fuming from her encounter with Chloe when she landed in her room and detransformed.

“Ugh! Tikki, why does Chloe always have to be so. . . Ugh! Chloe!” she said as she flopped onto her chaise.

When there was no reply, she sat up and turned to where she had last seen Tikki, only to find the Akuma from earlier in the library.

“It’s you! The one terrorizing Chloe!” She scrambled back. “What are you doing here?”

“I . . . just wanted to see you.”

“O-kay, but why did you attack Chloe?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Because Chloe is cruel and selfish!”

“Can’t argue with that,” Marinette admitted. She took a breath. “Are you- going to hurt me?”

“You? You’re Marinette.” He looked at her with an adoring smile on his face. “You’re beautiful and sweet and- perfect and- I could never hurt you!”

“Wow. That’s, uh, very, um, flattering, uh. . . Thank you?” she stuttered as she remembered that morning, in class. Nathaniel must have been akumatized. He really was in love with her.

“So, I just came by to ask you if, uh, well . . . It’s my birthday today and, uh, would you want to come to my party.”

“Oh, um, actually, it’s not really the best night, see, I’ve got a presentation to work on,” she gestured to her folder on the desk. “ And I have to. . . call my . . . friend so we can . . . meet and . . .” she trailed off, making her hand into a makeshift phone and holding it to her ear.

“Oh, no, please, Marinette, it’ll just be you and me!” He drew on a tablet she hadn’t noticed and a card appeared in his hand. He knelt and held it out to her, and she gasped as she took it.

“Oh, my gosh, that’s . . . me!”

“You like it?”

“I . . .”

She thought about it. She didn’t really want to go on a date with a supervillain, but if she could figure out where his Akuma was, she could defeat him faster. There was another problem though: how could she guarantee her safety if she enraged him? She needed Chat watching over her.

Which left Chloe unprotected. But still. Maybe.

Deciding it was her best chance, she said, “Love it! So much that I will absolutely be at your party!”

“On one condition,” she deadpanned.

“Anything for you, Marinette.”

“You can’t hurt Chloe anymore.” She held her hand to her forehead, “I simply cannot bear violence.”

“For you and only you.”

He drew on his tablet and a jetpack appeared on his back. “Meet me on the left bank, next to Notre Dame at sunset.” He told her, and left through the window, not bothering to fix the hole he left there.

Tikki came out and sat on Marinette’s shoulder. “What the hell, Tikki! He just professed his love to me and acted like he didn’t just ruin my window! And he can make the things he draws come to life, but he didn’t bother to fix something he broke!”

Tikki sighed. “He’s an Akuma, Marinette, he’s not in his right mind.”

“I’m not saying it’s alright, just that he can’t help it,” she amended when Marinette shot her a glare.

“I know, Tikki, it’s just really inconvenient,” Marinette sighed. “I have to call Chat. Do you mind if I transform for a few minutes?”

“No, go ahead.”

“SPOTS ON!” She climbed onto her balcony and leaped over a few roofs so Chat wouldn’t recognize where she was.

Pressing the button in the middle of her yoyo, she opened it and called Chat. He picked up after a few seconds.

“Hey, Lovebug, what’s up?”

She cut to the chase, “I need you to watch over a girl for me tonight.”

“Why can’t you do it?”

“I’m going on a very important secret mission.”

“What about Chloe?”

“She’s safe.”

He sighed. “Alright, who is it?”

She sent him a picture of herself. “Her name’s Marinette. Cute, right?”

His face softened and he whispered, “Yeah.”

Her heart fluttered.

“She’s going on a fake date with the Akuma. He’s in love with her.”

“What? That’s too dangerous! She could get hurt!”

“That’s why you’ll be there. Marinette is going to take his pencil away. I’ll need you to capture the Akuma and when you see me next, I’ll purify it,” she explained. “Can I trust you?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” he grumbled.

“Great! I’ll send you the address.”

She hung up and then typed in her address before hitting send and leaping back to her balcony.

She made her way merrily down the stairs and opened the door to see- Sabrina? What was she doing here? The project! She had completely forgotten!

“Hi, Marinette!”

“Um, hi, Sabrina,” she said hesitantly. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to work on the project.” She leaned forward. “Did you forget?” she singsonged.

“Um, nope. I was totally gonna call you,” Marinette laughed nervously.

“Great! Let’s go get started,” Sabrina chirped.

“I, um, actually there’s something really important I have to do tonight. I can’t work on it tonight. But we can meet up tomorrow.”

“What is this really important thing?”

“I, um, it’s a secret.”

“You know who else uses that excuse?”

“N-no.”

“Chloe! I’m beginning to see how much you two have in common!”

The angry redhead stormed away and Marinette let out a sigh, sagging against the doorframe.

“I thought I’d have to rescue you from her claws,” a voice said from her right.

“Chat!” Marinette jumped and started falling. She closed her eyes and braced for an impact that never came. Instead, she felt a warm hand close over hers and pull her upright.

Opening her eyes, she saw Chat smirk at her. “Falling for me already, huh, Purrincess?”

Marinette blushed so furiously, she was sure her face was bright red. “U-um . . .”

“I hear we’ll be working together.” He bent and kissed her hand.

“Uh, y-yeah.” How was he so smooth?

He interpreted her stuttering as fear of the idea of facing a supervillain. “Don’t worry, M’lady, I’ll be there the whole time. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“Thanks, Kitty,” She smiled softly. He was so thoughtful. He would never have left that big hole in her window. Or made it in the first place.

“Did . . . you just call me Kitty?”

“Uh, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have called you that! I-”

“No! No it’s fine! I liked it,” he smiled at her. “Chat Noir feels really formal. You can just call me Chat or Kitty. Okay?” he reassured her.

“Okay, Kitty,” she smiled right back at him.

“S-so,” he stuttered, but just for one second. “Where are we meeting for your . . . date?” He spat the last word like it was poison.

“Oh. Is the Kitty jealous?” it was too much to hope for, but Marinette couldn’t resist leaning in to hear his answer.

“Maybe just a little bit,” he said under his breath, making Marinette’s heart skip a beat.

She couldn’t help but gape at him. “What?”

"Um, I said . . . I just don’t want you getting hurt . . . ?”

“No. You said you were jealous,” she grinned.

His face turned bright red.

“Are you okay?!” She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and he flushed even more. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She insisted, moving her hand to his cheek.

“Uh, y-yep, just f-fine.”

“Do you want anything before we go? We still have a few hours until we have to leave.”

What if he really was sick? Not only would they be unable to defeat Nathaniel, but she would also spend every waking moment worrying about him.

“Could I have something to drink?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

“Of course! Follow me.” Marinette turned and walked back up the stairs to the kitchen. Chat shut the door behind him and followed her up the stairs.

“Have a seat,” Marinette offered, gesturing to a chair. “What do you want to drink? Water, orange juice, tea, milk?”

“Water is fine,” he said as he pulled out a chair.

She gave him his water then danced around the kitchen for a while, coming up with a tray of pastries for them to share and a mug of tea for herself.

“Thanks, Purrincess.”

“No problem, Kitty.”

They smiled at each other for a while before looking away and blushing.

------

“Remember, M’lady, just get the pen away from him. I’ll keep you safe,” Chat said as he leaped to Notre Dame.

“I know, Kitty. I’ll be fine,” she responded, more for his benefit than hers. She was certain her plan wouldn’t fail.

“I’m sure you will be. I’m just worried.” His brows furrowed. “What if something goes wrong? What if he gets mad and I can’t get there soon enough? I couldn’t live with myself if I couldn’t save you.”

They stopped on a roof near the river and Chat hugged Marinette tighter.

“Look at me.” When he didn’t, Marinette tilted his face toward hers. “I know I’ll be fine. Do you know why?”

He shook his head.

“Because I have you to watch over me.” Marinette put her hand over his heart. “And I know you would never let anyone hurt me.” She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. “Besides, I’m stronger than I look.”

Chat smiled weakly at her and you could tell he was trying very hard to keep it from slipping. “Thanks, Purrincess.”

“Why don’t you come to my house tomorrow and we’ll get ice cream?”

“Sure, but I’m paying.”

“No! I suggested it.”

“But I said I’d pay first.”

“Why don’t we decide tomorrow?”

“Sure, but I’m still paying.”

“Don’t we have to be somewhere?” Marinette deflected.

“Oh, right.” Chat’s face turned grim again and all the comfort from their banter melted away. He leaped to the ground behind Notre Dame and Marinette walked to the edge of the river with Chat keeping watch from the shadows.

“Hey, I hope I’m not late,” Marinette said to get the villain’s attention.

“Not at all, You’re right on time.” He sat on a bench and patted the spot next to him. Marinette complied and he started to draw something. A bouquet of red roses appeared in his hand.

When he gave them to her, she tried to pretend Chat was the gifter.

“They’re lovely,” she said, giving them a sniff. “You’re very good at drawing. I actually draw a little too. I’m not as good as you, of course.”

“I’m sure you’re a wonderful artist.”

“Well, can I draw you something for your birthday?”

“Sure.” He started to hand her the pencil, but Chat Noir shifted behind them and Evilustrator must have seen his movement because he kept his grip on the pencil and asked her to give it back.

“N-no, I’m keeping it!” She snatched it and backed away.

“Marinette, you’re working with him? I’m so stupid. I actually thought you liked me, but you’re just like Chloe! Teasing me. Mocking me. Leading me on.”

Marinette snapped his pencil. “Why does everyone keep comparing me to Chloe today?!”

An Akuma flew out of the pencil and Chat leaped down to catch it in a jar he had brought. He turned to Marinette who was still seething from Evilustrator’s comment.

“If it helps,” he said, setting his hand on her shoulder, “I don’t think you’re like Chloe.”

Marinette’s face softened and she hugged him. “Thanks, Kitty, that means the world to me.”

Yay! The first Marichat chapter is out! The last chapter doesn't count. I tallied up all the chapters of each ship I already have outlined. I'm not sure if anyone's interested so if you want to see how many of each so far, then comment and I'll make a post. Thank you to my wonderful beta @valiantlyjollynightmare!

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[linhlotustories]

Oops

Marinette trudged up to her room. It had been a terrible day and all she wanted to do was snuggle with Chat and go to sleep. Unfortunately, or, as Chat would say, Un-fur-tunately, there was one major problem with that. She couldn’t speak around him. Or move. Not without tripping over nothing. It was worse than when she’d had a crush on Adrien. It wasn’t even in the same class. She still got a little flustered around Adrien occasionally, but it wasn’t as bad as before.

As she set her bag down, she heard a tap on the window. Oh, no. Another opportunity to embarrass herself. As she opened the window, she turned to hide her flushed face and walked back to her desk. “C-come in, Ch-chat.”

“Hey, Purrincess,” he greeted as he settled himself on the chaise.

“Why d-don’t you get a m-movie set up wh-while I get some snacks?” She got up and tried to walk to the trapdoor only to trip over her feet. She held out her arms to catch herself, as, in her peripheral vision, she saw Chat leap to catch her. With a loud thump, they ended up on the floor, her hovering over Chat on her hands and knees. Their faces inches apart.

She heard feet pounding up the stairs and her papa burst in. He stopped. “Uh, am I interrupting something?”

Marinette felt her face heat up. “N-no! I-it’s not l-like that!”

“Just make sure you use protection.” His eyes twinkled and he disappeared down the stairs, closing the trapdoor behind him.

Marinette turned her head to look at Chat who’s face probably looked as red as hers “I’m so sorry!” she yelped as she launched herself off him. “I didn’t mean to do that!” She squeezed her eyes closed and kept spewing out apologies until Chat set his hand on her shoulder.

“Marinette, It’s okay. It was an accident. You didn’t mean to. Look at me, Marinette.” She opened her eyes and saw that his cheeks were still tinged with pink. “It’s fine.”

“But-”

“No. No buts. You didn’t do anything wrong. Although, don’t think I haven’t noticed how weird you’ve been acting. Did I do something wrong?” He furrowed his brows.

“N-no.” She was a deer in the headlights, unable to move, but knowing that she was doomed.

“Then what is it? Did someone hurt you?” His face morphed from concern to anger. “Who was it? I’ll-” he growled.

“Chat, wait. No one hurt me.” She was flattered that he cared about her that much, but he jumped to conclusions really fast.

“Then what’s going on? What happened?”

“W-well, um.” She rubbed her arm and looked down. This was where she’d gone wrong with Adrien so many times. Would she be able to confess? Or would she chicken out? “I’m in love with you,” she whispered.

“What?”

She closed her eyes and practically screamed, “I’m in love with you, okay! I realized it a few weeks ago. I just haven’t been able to tell you.” Fat tears squeezed out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

She stood and walked to the window, being careful not to look Chat in the eye.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped and flinched away. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her. He placed his hands back on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. He cupped her face in his hands and wiped her tears. “I’m sorry I made you cry, Purrincess,” was the last thing he said before he pressed his lips against hers.

Electric.

If she could only use one word, that was how she would have described the kiss. Electricity crackled through her as their lips met and refused to fizzle out even after they had parted.

Beyond that, though, it was wet. Her tears had rolled onto the corners of her lips and that, coupled with the saliva from their mouths, made their lips slippery.

Her hands reached up and tangled themselves in his hair as he found her waist, pressing her body to his.

Chat was the first one to break away, gasping for air. Marinette was out of breath too, but she followed his lips, and he allowed her one more kiss before placing his finger on her lips.

“Wait,” he panted. “I need a moment.” He led her over to the chaise and they sat there, panting and clinging to each other.

After they had caught their breath, Chat turned to her, “I need to tell you something.” He sucked in a breath and started. “When you started getting nervous around me, I thought I did something wrong and you didn’t want to be around me anymore. And that made me realize that I can’t live without you. I need you, Marinette.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Those last three words stunned Marinette, but not as much as what he said next.

He folded his hands and looked down. “I understand if you don’t feel the same, but I had to tell you before it was too late.”

“Are you an idiot? I just confessed to you and made out with you! Of course I feel the same way! Wait, what do you mean ‘before it’s too late’?” She had a horrible thought. “Are you dying?”

“No! No! I just thought you and Luka . . .” He trailed off.

“What? No, there’s never been anything romantic between us.” She paused. “There was this other boy I liked, but he never returned my feelings so . . .” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. No use in worrying about something that was never meant to be.”

“Wait. Who was this boy?”

“He’s one of my classmates. You probably wouldn’t know him.” She thought for a moment. His face was plastered on billboards all over Paris and he was the most popular bachelor in all of Europe. “Er, well, actually, you probably would.”

“Who? Nathaniel? Nino?” he growled.

“Nathaniel? Why would I like Nathaniel? I mean no offense to him, but he’s nowhere near my type. And Nino’s dating Alya.” She laughed.

“Then what is your type?”

“Blond-haired, green-eyed guys. Why? Don’t you know what you look like? Or were you referring to personality?”

“Both, I guess.”

“Well, you already know what looks I prefer, but I like guys who’re sweet, kind, have a healthy dose of humility.” She looked at him pointedly. “Um, helpful. I think those are the most important traits to me. Oh, and they can’t just be interested in me for my body or my connections.”

“Bold of you to assume that I can’t be humble, Purrincess. Now, I believe you were about to tell me who ‘Mystery Boy’ is.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Please, Purrincess?” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“Fine, but if I tell you, I get another kiss. And a real one, not just on the nose.” He nodded and she continued. “It was Adrien Agreste.”

“Wait the model?”

“Is there another one?”

He let out a peal of laughter.

“Hey, don’t laugh at me!” She crossed her arms and turned away.

“I’m such an idiot,” he laughed.

“What do you mean?” she grumbled. It still felt like he was making fun of her.

“I should have realized. It makes so much sense. The stuttering, the enhanced clumsiness. The constipation meds were an attempt to confess, wasn’t it? And what you said in the wax museum was true!” By the end of his epiphany, he was laughing gleefully.

“Wait.” Marinette narrowed her eyes. “How do you know about that?”

“Oops. I-I, um, he told me?”

Marinette jumped as she realized something, falling backward off the chaise. “Adrien!” she screeched.

He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “The one and only.”

“I just! You’re! What?”

She was hyperventilating.

She couldn’t believe she had just confessed to Chat and told him about her crush on Adrien only for him to be Adrien.

“Are you . . . okay?” Chat -Adrien? No, he was still Chat right now- asked as he knelt next to her. How had gotten there? Was she so stunned that she didn’t notice him crouching next to her? No, it actually made a lot of sense. She’d never seen Adrien and Chat at the same time. His absence when she’d fought Gorizilla suddenly made sense. Wait! She had seen them at the same time! “But you were both there when we defeated Gorizilla. If you’re Adrien, how did you pull that off? And why didn’t you transform when you were falling off the tower?”

“I had Wayhem pretend to be Adrien while I was Chat Noir and I knew Ladybu-” He gaped at her. “Did you say we?” He grinned. “Of course you would be Ladybug! I’m surprised I didn’t figure it out sooner.” He threw his head back and- laughed. Not just a self-deprecating chuckle or a chortle, but a real, hearty laugh. Now it was her turn to gape. He had such a wonderful laugh, low and gleeful. Like music.

“What?” He must have seen her staring.

“Oh, nothing,” She shook her head, trying to shake herself out of the muddle her mind had become. “I’ve just never heard you laugh.”

“Yeah, you have.” He looked at her quizzically.

“No, I mean really laugh. I can tell when you’re faking it. That includes smiling.”

“What do you mean.” There was another one of those smiles again.

“See! That’s what I mean! You’re smiling to cover up your true feelings. That’s not healthy.”

“How’d you know?”

“I notice things,” she answered with feigned superiority.

“About everyone or am I special?” She blushed and he smirked at her. How dare he assume such a thing? He was right, of course, but she wasn’t going to admit that. His ego was already big enough as it was.

When she didn’t answer, he said, “That’s what I thought.”

“You still owe me that kiss,’ she said with as much spite as she could muster, which wasn’t much considering who she was talking to.

“I’m all for that, but one thing first.”

“What?”

“I want you to admit you’re Ladybug.”

“Fine, since you already figured it out, I’m Ladybug. Now can I please have that kiss?” She was still trying to act indignant, but it was really hard when all she wanted to do was kiss him.

“Yes.” He leaned in through hooded eyes and pressed his lips to hers.

This time, it was softer, sweeter. Still electric, but less frantic. She noticed more.

He smelled faintly of peppermint and his lips tasted of cinnamon, which was an intoxicating mixture.

She swirled her fingers around in his silky golden hair before pulling him closer and letting his hands glide to her waist.

Chat pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “I love you,” he panted.

“And I you,” she replied before pulling him in again.

Oh, how she loved kissing him. Almost as much as she loved him.

This is way longer than I intended but think of it as a peace offering for me not doing all the prompts. This was inspired by Lyradaisical's Deja vu so go check that out. Thank you to my wonderful beta Moonlight of the moon!

[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 11:Locked In

Marinette wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the shower. She loved the fresh, clean feeling taking a shower gave her. She reached for the door handle and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t budge. She attempted to stay calm and tried again. It still adamantly refused to open.

“Maman!” She waited. “Maman! Papa!” She kept screaming for a few minutes before giving up and sinking to the floor, letting her sobs echo around off the walls.

------

Chat landed on Marinette’s roof and tapped on her window. When she didn’t answer, he got worried. She was usually up by then. Was she sick? Or had she just misplaced something downstairs?

He tapped again, louder this time, and looked in. Her bed was empty and no one was at the desk or on the chaise.

Deciding that it would be alright to go in without permission just this once, he pushed open the window and climbed through.

“Princess?” he called.

His only answer was silence.

He tried again. “Marinette?”

Chat made his way down to the kitchen. “Marinette? Where are you?” He walked to the living room. “If this is a joke it isn’t very funny.”

He was getting more and more frightened by the second. What if she disappeared? What would he do then? Who would he hold when they watched movies? Who would play video games with him late into the night to help him forget about his father? Or cuddle with him early in the morning? Or trade jokes with him about anything and everything?

No.

Chat shook his head, trying to rid his mind of those cursed thoughts. He couldn’t think like that. He had to be strong. For Marinette.

There was a sound like a whimper and his ears swiveled around. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the bathroom. He crept down the hall. There it was again! It was definitely coming from the bathroom. Now that he was closer, it sounded more like a series of sobs and gasps with the occasional whimper.

“Marinette?” His heart rose. “Marinette? Is that you?”

“Chat?” Her voice was unsteady and raw like she had been crying for a while and he felt a pang in his chest.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Chat jiggled the door handle. “Open the door, Princess!”

This made her sob again but she managed to force out the words, “I can’t . . . It’s s-stuck” before she was overwhelmed again.

“How?”

“I-I took a sh-shower,” she sniffed, “and when I . . . t-tried to leave. . . the door was stuck.” Her words were punctuated with another sob.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out,” he promised. “Stand back. I’m going to break the door down.”

He heard a scrambling that probably wouldn’t have registered if she wasn’t in a bathroom and he didn’t have enhanced senses.

“I’m o-out of the w-way,” she sniffed.

Chat backed up and kicked the door.

Crack!

A fracture appeared in the door. He kicked again.

Crack!

Splinters of wood fell to the floor and the crack widened. Another kick made a ragged hole about the size of a grapefruit.

Marinette had stopped sobbing now and was just whimpering. He peered through the hole.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Y-” She sniffed. “Yeah.”

“I’m going to keep kicking, okay?”

“Okay.” Her voice was so quiet. He felt another sharp pang in his chest. He should have protected her.

Chat channeled all his anger and frustration into his next kick and a crack the length of the door appeared. Wow. He didn’t think he was that strong. He kicked again and this time, half of the door flew off making Marinette screech.

“Are you okay, Princess?” He pushed through the door and she flew into his arms, shaking and sobbing. She had a fluffy, white towel falling out of her hair and another wrapped around her body. He rubbed circles on her back, being careful not to move the towel. “Shh, it’s okay, Princess, you’re okay.”

After a few minutes, Marinette’s sobs subsided and she pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Th-thanks, Kitty,” she sniffed.

“Anything for you, M’lady.” He was using all his self-control not to look down. “Now let’s go get you some clothes.”

She nodded and he took her to her room. While she was dressing, he went down to the bakery to explain what had happened and tell her parents he would replace the door.

He was so glad he had been there to help, he only wished he had found her sooner.

Thank you to my wonderful beta Moonlight of the moon!

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[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 10: Purring

Marinette closed her eyes. She’d had a splitting headache all day and was looking forward to when she could get home and take a nap, but now that she was home, she couldn’t sleep.

There was a thump and someone tapped on her window.

She kept her eyes closed and called, “Come in, Chat.”

The window opened and he said, “Hey, Purrincess, what are you doing?” making her head pounding.

“Trying to sleep. I have a headache.”

He padded over to her and knelt next to the chaise, resting his arms on it. “Do you need a cat to snuggle with?”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

She moved over and he climbed on next to her, wrapping his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest. Loud purrs rumbled from his chest and she immediately relaxed.

“I love it when you purr.”

“And I love you.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Me too, Kitty.”

“Meowch, Milady, don’t you love your kitty too?”

Marinette looked up at him and pouted.

He let out a soft laugh and stroked her head. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“Well, you’d better learn to resist soon because otherwise, you might have an unfortunate accident someday.”

“Don’t you mean un-fur-tunate?” He grinned down at her.

Marinette just stared at him.

“Why don’t you get some rest? That might help your headache.”

She laid her head back down on his chest and mumbled, “It also might help if someone stopped teasing me.”

“Yes, but then you would miss my silky tone and your headache might come back.”

She could hear the smile in his voice.

“No, I’d really consider it a benefit.”

“Aw, Purrincess,” he griped.

“If you don’t want me to tease you then you should let me get some rest.”

“Fine.”

Marinette settled down and let her kitty’s purring lull her to sleep. When she woke up, she felt more refreshed than she had in weeks. She wasn’t sure why, but she thought it might have to do with the company and contented purring of a certain cat.

Thank you to my wonderful beta Moonlight of the moon! This chapter was inspired by Plikki's Purr pain relief so go give them some love.

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[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 9: Moonlight

Marinette leaned against the railing of her deck, staring at the moon. She had changed into her pj’s and was reliving her evening with Chat.

He had taken her to a park and they had gotten ice cream from Andre.

Chat had dropped her off and they shared a kiss before he left for a late-night photoshoot with the promise that he would be back soon.

She sighed and looked at the white rose he had given her. Its petals were slightly wilted from being out of water for so long, but it still held its shape fairly well. She would have to remember to put it in some water before she went to bed.

A soft footfall was heard behind her and someone said, “Missing me already, Purrincess?”

Marinette whirled around. “Chat?”

He stepped out of the shadows and bowed. “Your knight in shining leather has arrived.”

“You scared me!”

“Yes, and it was priceless,” he laughed.

“It’s not funny!” she insisted which only served to make him laugh harder.“Stop it!” She had an idea. “Or no pastries for a whole day.”

This made him sober up. “What?! You can’t do that!”

“Yes, I can.” She grinned up at him. “And if you get my parents to give you sweets, you won’t get any kisses for a week.” She’d finally found his weakness and she wasn’t going to give in so easily.

“Why do you insist on torturing me so?” he howled.

“You laughed at me,” she said. “And stop being so dramatic.”

“Fine, fine! I’m sorry for laughing at you! It was rude of me! Now can I have a kiss?” he said frantically.

“What’s the magic word?”

“Please!”

“Fine. Apology accepted.” She leaned forward and he closed his eyes. Just before their lips met, she whispered, “Don’t do it again, though or I won’t be so forgiving.”

Chat couldn’t take it anymore and leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers.

She couldn’t stay angry with him for long and she melted into the kiss.

As she stood there, bathed in the moonlight, her lips pressed against Chat’s, Marinette couldn’t imagine loving anyone else.

Thank you to my wonderful beta Moonlight of the moon!

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[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 8: Dancing

Chat vaulted across the rooftops to Marinette’s house. He still couldn’t believe she had invited him to prom.

He landed in front of the apartment door and knocked.

Tom jerked it open and smiled before proceeding to hug the living daylights out of him.

“Adrien!” he boomed.

“Hi . . . Monsieur. . . . Dupain,” Chat gasped.

“Tom, he has to breathe,” Sabine laughed.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Tom said as he set Chat down.

Chat doubled over, panting. He had forgotten how strong Marinette’s father was. “It’s fine,” he said when he caught his breath. “Where’s Marinette?”

“Upstairs getting ready,” Sabine said. “Would you like something to eat while you’re waiting?”

“Yes, please!”

“Follow me, then.”

They walked up the stairs to the kitchen and Sabine told Chat to have a seat while she made some tea.

“Here,” she set a plate of macarons in front of him.

“Thank you, Madame Cheng.” He smiled at her.

“Please, call me Sabine.”

“Alright, Sabine.” Chat popped a macaron into his mouth. “Mmm . . . This is delicious.”

“Thanks. I made them myself.”

Chat looked up and almost choked. Her hair was in a bun with little wisps of curled hair framing her face and she was wearing a long dress with a black skirt and a very low, green v-neck which revealed plenty of her chest and left her arms bare.

“You, um,” he cleared his throat. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and walked over to him. “So do you.”

“Aww!” Sabine cooed. “You two are adorable!”

Tom held up a camera. “Picture time!”

“Ugh, Daad,” Marinette groaned.

“Come on, Purrincess, it’s just a picture.”

It turned out it wasn’t just a picture. It was enough pictures to fill a small album.

“Come on, Papa. We’re going to be late,” Marinette finally said.

“Alright, go have fun you two.”

“Bye, Papa. Bye, Maman.” Marinette waved as she took Chat’s hand and tugged him up the stairs to her room. When they were on the balcony, Chat hesitantly picked her up and leaped off her balcony.

“You’ve been really quiet. Is something on your mind?” Marinette placed her hand on his cheek.

“I, um, you,” he had to clear his throat again and he was sure his face was bright red. “You look very beautiful.”

“Is the Kitty flustered?” she laughed.

“Um, w-we’re here.” He set her down.

Marinette kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Kitty. You’re the best,” she whispered.

“Anything for you, Purrincess,” he pulled her into a kiss, not caring about the students all around them.

I kind of cheated on this prompt and I'll tell you why. I've never really danced except in first grade, I took ballet for a month at the school, but that was only four days total (once a week). I've never been to a prom so I don't want to ruin the story by describing it wrong. I'm sorry if it didn't stand up to someone's expectations, but this is what you got.

I was going to thank the beta, but I can't find them, so I'm wondering if anyone beta-ed it.

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[linhlotustories]

Tales of Lovebug and Kitty Noir Ch 3: Gamer

The next day, Marinette walked into class just as the bell rang. She took her seat and laid out her homework for Mrs. Bustier to collect.

Chloe marched in a moment later and threatened to call her ‘Daddy’ if she was marked tardy. She said hello to Adrien, glared at Marinette, and sat down to talk to Sabrina.

Adrien turned around and greeted Marinette with a smile. “Hey, Marinette.”

She turned away.

“I just want to say that yesterday was a misunderstanding and I’m sorry that you hate me,” he continued, his voice growing quieter and more hesitant with each word. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

He turned back to the front.

Ugh, did he think she was stupid? She wouldn’t fall victim to his tricks again.

“Okay, class, I will be splitting you into pairs for our next project. You and your partner will write a report on the effects of cyberbullying and present it tomorrow,” Mrs. Bustier said and looked around the room. “Any questions?”

When no one raised their hand, she continued, “Alright. Your partners are on the board.”

Marinette waited for Mrs. Bustier to call her name, hoping to be partnered with Alya. When her name was called, however, it was not with Alya’s, but with Adrien’s. She mentally groaned and glanced at her new partner who was watching her hopefully.

“I guess we’re partners,” he said.

“I guess so,” she sighed. “My house or yours?”

“Um, yours if that’s okay.”

“Okay, meet me on the steps after school,” she conceded and looked away.

------

Marinette sighed and sat on the top step to wait for Adrien. She decided to get out her sketchbook and work on her latest design, an elaborate sapphire dress shirt for her dad’s birthday.

A few minutes later, she heard a soft voice from behind her say, “That’s really good, Marinette!"

She turned to see Adrien crouched behind her. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just have to tell my bodyguard that I’ll be home late.”

They walked down the steps and Adrien stopped at a gray car parked in front of the school. Marinette assumed the driver was also the bodyguard he’d mentioned since it was him Adrien talked to. And after she heard him tell that he had a project to work on and that he’d be back for his photoshoot in a few hours. She started walking and he turned to follow.

“So, you’re into design?” he asked awkwardly.

“Yeah.”

“You’re really good at it. I think you have a future in the fashion business. Maybe I could get you an internship with my father.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she sighed.

“I know, but I want to.”

“We’re here,” she stepped into the bakery, glad their short walk was finally over.

“Hi, Sweetie, how was school?” mom asked with a smile.

“It was good, mom. This is Adrien. He’s in my class. We’re going up to my room to work on a project.”

“Alright, sweetie, would you like some treats?”

“Sure. Thanks, mom,” she got a platter and loaded it up. “Come on,” she said to him after a second then led him past the counter and up the stairs.

“Do you want me to carry that for you?” Adrien asked, reaching for the platter.

“No thanks, I’m not helpless.” She led him up to her room and opened the trapdoor, climbing up and setting the tray on her desk.

“I’ll be back, I’m just going to make some tea. Any preferences?” she asked as she set her backpack down.

“No, you choose. I trust you.”

She rolled her eyes and headed down to the kitchen in the apartment, throwing him a quick “Make yourself at home” as she went down the stairs again

She chose a marigold lemongrass blend for herself and a chamomile blend for Adrien. Both herbal; it was too late for caffeine.

Measuring out a teaspoon of each, she put them in strainers and poured hot water over them. When she returned, she set them by the tray of pastries.

She asked Adrien to get off the chaise lounge for a moment and moved it to her desk.

“Help yourself to a pastry. The tea in the blue mug is a chamomile blend. That one’s yours.”

“Awesome, thanks Marinette,” he said as he reached for a macaron.

“Be careful, the tea is hot.”

“Why are you being so nice to me? You hate me.”

“Marinette sighed as she opened her backpack and pulled out her books. “Hate is a strong word. And I try to at least be civil to anyone who isn’t currently being hostile to me or one of my friends. Plus, my parents are here."

“That’s very considerate of you.” Adrien popped another macaron in his mouth. “Mmm. . . These are really good, Marinette. Please help me remember to thank your parents before I leave.”

“Or you could just thank them now,” she tilted her head towards her trapdoor.

He glanced over and saw her parents peeking up through it. “Hello, Madame and Monsieur. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your baking is amazing!”

“Thank you,” Tom smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. “Let us know if you need anything,” he said before he and his wife closed the trapdoor.

“Come on. We’d better get started on the project if we want to have it done before you have to leave.”

Adrien was quick to agree, so they worked on the project for a while, and when they finished, they still had half an hour before Adrien had to leave, so they decided to get a snack and go to the park. They sat and talked for a few minutes then heard screams from in front of them. A huge bot that looked like an UMS character stomped towards them. “Marinette!” it screamed. “Join me and we will rule the world! Refuse and you and your friends will perish!”

“That sounds like. . . Max!” Marinette turned to Adrien. “We have to go! He’s been akumatized.” Adrien grabbed her hand and dragged her away

The newly akumatized Max saw them move and shot at them. They got separated and Marinette lost sight of Adrien, but soon enough she heard footsteps pounding toward her. Instead of Adrien, however, she turned to see Chat Noir. Watch out, Marinette!” he yelled as he knocked her to the ground.

They landed hard and Marinette opened her eyes to see his large, green ones twinkling at her cheekily.

Marinette couldn’t resist teasing him, “Did you fall for me, Kitty?”

“Why, Purrincess, you read my mind!”

She blushed as he got up and held out his hand to help her up. She accepted and once she was on her feet again, he scooped her up, carrying her bridal style.

“Hold on, Purrincess,” Chat warned before he launched them into the air.

He ran for a few minutes then when they had lost Max, he set her down behind a chimney. “Stay here, Marinette,” he said. “I would hate for anything to happen to you,” he kissed her cheek and took off toward the Akuma. “Bye, M’lady, I’ll come get you after Lovebug and I defeat the Akuma.”

------

Lovebug left right after they defeated Gamer, who turned out to be Max. It seemed that he had gotten upset when someone beat his score and thought he wouldn’t be able to compete in the UMS tournament. Chat quickly reassured him and made his way to where he had left Marinette.

She was sitting with her back to the wall and when she heard him approaching, she looked up and smiled at him. “Hi, Chat. How was it?”

“Fine. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He bent down and picked her up again, taking her to her balcony. Before he left, he bent and kissed her hand, “Au revoir, Purrincess. Until we meet again.”

He backed away and jumped off her balcony, catching himself with his baton. He doubled back and met Marinette outside the bakery as Adrien before making his way home.

As he walked to his room, all he could think about was how wonderful Marinette was and how he was going to win her heart.

Thank you to my amazing beta @valiantlyjollynightmare!

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[linhlotustories]

Flowershop

“Chat stepped into a flower shop, the bell jingling merrily.

He looked around and a few different bouquets caught his eye, a bouquet of white and pink dahlias, some orange lilies, but none of them were good enough for his Purrincess.

He was just examining a bundle of light pink peonies when his baton beeped, signaling that someone had just texted him. He pulled it out and opened his messages.

Purrincess: Chat, hurry up and pick a bouquet, you were supposed to pick me up half an hour ago!

He whipped around and strode toward the glass storefront. Looking up, he saw Marinette wave from her window. Her hair was up in a bun with two little wisps of curled hair framing her face.

The words of her text sunk in. Wait! He looked back at her text. He’d had plenty of time to spare when he’d arrived. Had it really been that long? He looked at the clock built into his baton.

6:30?

It had been almost an hour!

He grabbed the first bouquet he saw, a mix of red, orange, and yellow roses, and rushed to the checkout counter. After he had paid, he raced to Marinette’s balcony. She was waiting with a smirk on her face.

“Nice of you to show up.”

He bent to kiss her hand, “Sorry, Purrincess, I lost track of time.”

It was then that he noticed her choice of clothing. She wore a long green and black velvet dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline and little paw-prints embroidered around the edges.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed.

“Thanks, Kitty,” she giggled. “You look great too.”

He shook his head as he straightened, “Nothing can compare with you.” He remembered the flowers. “These are for you.” He held them out to her.

“Thank you, Kitty!” She sniffed them. “They’re perfect, but the colors are a little confusing.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, yellow roses symbolize friendship, orange is for passion, desire, and fierce love, and red ultimate love, passion, and longing,” she explained.

“Well, um, I just thought they were pretty, but maybe they could tell a story. The yellow could be the beginning, we started out as friends which blossomed into the orange and red.”

“That’s really clever!”

“Well of course,” he teased. “It’s from Yours Truly.”

She giggled. “Come on, Kitty, are we going or not?”

Instead of answering, he scooped her up and leaped off the balcony.”

------

“And that’s why I always get your mother yellow, orange, and red roses.” Adrien finished.

Emma giggled. “Again! Again!” she squealed.

“Not tonight, Purrincess, it’s time for you to get some sleep.” He tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

As he walked out, he turned off the light and thought again of that wondrous day in the flower shop.

This is a one-shot for Marichat May. Thank you to my wonderful betas (I had two but they haven't given me names to credit them with)

[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 7: Cuddles

Marinette was trying to focus on her homework, but Chat kept butting his head against her legs. He wasn’t actually a cat. Why did he have to act like one?

“Please stop, Chat,” she sighed. “I’m trying to work.”

“But, Purrincess,” he whined. “I want to snuggle.”

“We can when I’m done.”

He rolled over and lifted his arms and legs in the air, silently pleading for attention.

She stared at him for a moment before sighing. “Fine, but only for a few minutes.”

He practically leaped onto the chaise, settling down in a half upright position and holding out his arms, quivering with anticipation.

Marinette stood over him and crossed her arms. “If I snuggle with you for ten minutes, will you leave me alone until my homework is done?”

“Come on, Purrincess,” he whined. “I can’t wait that long.”

“I’d get my homework done faster if you weren’t so distracting.”

“Are you saying I’m hot?” he grinned. “That you can’t take your eyes off me? I know I’m irresistible, Purrincess, but I didn’t think you would admit it.”

“Ugh, stop it, Kitty, I’m serious. Do you want me to snuggle with you or not?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m sorry! Please, I need your cuddles.”

“Do you promise to be quiet while I study?” she asked sternly.

“Yes! Now come on, M’lady.”

“Fine,” she said as she lay down next to him.

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, letting all his troubles slide away.

They stayed there for a lot longer than ten minutes but despite the lack of productivity, Marinette was satisfied with her evening.

I feel like this is kind of an alternate version of the previous chapter, but it's supposed to be a few days/weeks later. Thank you to my wonderful betas Moonlight of the moon and two others that haven't told me how to credit them.

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[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 6: Take a break

Chat sat perched on the windowsill watching Marinette roll around in her desk chair. She scribbled on a piece of paper and rolled over to the sewing machine, then her computer.

Marinette had been so busy lately. She would snap at him if he interrupted her and they hadn’t been on a date or even had a real conversation in weeks. He was over it at this point. So last night he had concocted a plan and tonight he would carry it out.

He tapped on the window just as she got to her sewing machine again. She sighed and stomped over to the window.

“What, Chat?!” she snapped. “I’m busy.”

“Sorry about this, Purrincess, but you’ve given me no choice.” He reached in the window and scooped her into his arms.

She wriggled and kicked, trying to break free. “Let me go right now!”

Chat stayed silent as he carried his screaming girlfriend to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Her words wounded him, but it was for her own good. He set her down and sat with his legs dangling over the edge.

When she spoke next, her voice was quivering with barely contained rage. “Where in the world did you get the idea that kidnapping people is okay?”

“I only kidnapped one person,” he replied calmly.

“You know, you could get arrested for this!”

“Only if they catch me.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” he asked.

“Why did you take me? Why bring me here?”

“You’ve been busy for weeks. We haven’t even had a real conversation since you gave me that hooded blanket. You need to take a break.” He stood and turned to her, tears gathering in his eyes. “You’re tearing yourself apart.” He looked down. “And watching you is tearing me apart.” The first tears fell. “I can’t bear to see you like this. I hoped that if you took a break, things would get better, but I can see that’s not going to happen. If you want me to take you back now, I will.”

Marinette’s anger began to fade. She hadn't realized it had affected him this much. “Oh, Kitty.” She tilted his face towards her. “I’m sorry.”

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, letting the tears fall freely as she rubbed circles on his back.

“Shh . . . shh . . . it’s okay,” she whispered.

When he was all cried out, they just stood there, reveling in each other's company, and they both knew that it was them against the world. Forever.

Thank you to my wonderful betas Moonlight of moon and two others!

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[linhlotustories]

Revelations ch 3: Cooking Together

Chat awoke to the sound of children playing in the park across the street and the memory of last night still fresh in his head. He looked over to see Marinette still asleep with her hair splayed around her head and her mouth open.

He kissed her cheek before crawling across the bed and making his way to the kitchen. He wanted to make her something nice for breakfast.

He decided to start with eggs, bacon, and toast. What could go wrong with that?

------

Marinette was walking downstairs when she heard a yelp and a crash. She rushed to the kitchen and saw Chat with a pan and burnt bacon scattered around his feet.

He looked up sheepishly when she came in. "Hi, Purrincess."

"What happened here?" she asked as she surveyed the scene. There were eggs that looked too soft on a plate and when she looked in the toaster oven, she saw two pieces of toast that looked like they might still be salvageable.

"I, uh, tried to make breakfast for you." He scratched the back of his neck as she rushed to the toaster oven.

"Have you ever cooked anything?"

"Um, no, but I didn't think it would be that hard. How do you do this?"

She laughed. "It helps if you know what you're doing," she said. "Why don't I give you cooking lessons and in exchange, you stop with the puns for a week?"

"Okay, deal!"

"And that includes calling me 'Purrincess.'"

He wilted. "Fine, but I'm still calling you M'lady," he warned.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." She kissed his cheek.

They began their first cooking lesson and by the end, Chat had managed to make scrambled eggs and avocado toast. It wasn't the morning Marinette had planned, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. And as she sat down to breakfast with her partner, Marinette couldn't imagine a better start to her day.

Thank you to my wonderful beta hopedespite!

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[linhlotustories]

My Stalker ch 5: Blanket

Marinette heard a tap on her window. She lifted her foot off the pedal of the sewing machine and got up to open the window.

“Hi, Chat.” She gave him a quick peck and made her way back to her seat.

“Hi, Purrincess, what are you working on?”

“You’ll see. Just give me a minute to finish the hem.”

She pressed her foot down again and, when she was done with the seam, she pressed the button to cut the thread and held it up to admire her work.

“Done!” She beamed at Chat. “Why don’t you try it on?” she handed it to him.

“Uh. . . What is it?”

“It’s a hooded blanket, silly. And look,” she pointed to the hood, “it has cat ears so you can be Chat even when you’re a civilian.”

His face lit up as he noticed what adorned the hood. “And you’re giving this to me?”

“Of course, you’re my boyfriend.”

“Thank you, Marinette!” He leaned forward and enveloped her in his arms. He smelled intoxicatingly of citrus and peppermint, which she wouldn’t have thought of pairing together but smelled amazing.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said as she pulled back. “You still have to try it on.”

“Oh, right. So it’s like a cape?”

“Yes.”

Chat swung it around onto his back and pulled the hood on.

“I love it,” he said. “But there is one thing that would make it even better.”

“And what’s that?”

“If you shared it with me.” He moved to the chaise and sat before holding his arms out.

She sighed, “Oh, alright, but only for a few minutes, I have to get my homework and that album cover for Jagged Stone done.”

“Thank you, Purrincess,” Chat said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her forehead.

She sighed and relaxed into his chest. It would be good to snuggle with him for a while before getting back to work, she thought.

Thank you to my wonderful beta hopedespite!

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